Election 2023: Suzanne Viscomi, Candidate For Red Bank Council

RED BANK, NJ — Voters in Red Bank go to the polls May 9 for the first-ever nonpartisan election for Mayor and Borough Council.

The mayor and council positions are all up for election in May as part of the borough's charter change to a nonpartisan Council/Manager form of government, approved by a wide margin of residents in last November's election. The new government will be seated in July.

There are 13 council candidates and two candidates running for mayor. There is a field of two teams, running as Red Bank's Ready and Red Bank Together, and one independent candidate, running under the designation Dedicated to Representing Red Bank.

Voters may vote for up to six candidates for council and up to one candidate for mayor.

Leading up to the election, profiles of all candidates who responded to a Patch questionnaire will be published. Responses were requested to be returned by April 16, and these profiles reflect issues as of that date. For those who did not yet respond, the dates of those responses will be noted in future stories.

Candidates were asked about their background and experience and their positions on two big issues in the borough - cannabis business regulation and short-term rentals, as well as their vision for the borough.

Today, council candidate Suzanne "Sue" Viscomi, currently a Red Bank school board member, is featured. She is running individually with the designation Dedicated to Representing Red Bank:

• Name: Suzanne “Sue” Viscomi
• Address: 25 Cedar St., Red Bank
• Position sought: Council
• Are you an incumbent or have you been involved in other positions in borough or school government?: Appointed as a trustee to the Red Bank Public library (currently serving my second term); elected to the Red Bank Board of Education (currently serving my fourth term); appointed to the Animal Welfare Committee (currently serving my second term).
• Campaign website: www.voteviscomi.com
• Background: I have been a resident for 20-plus years and I currently live off of Bridge Avenue with my wife. I have been working as an accountant for 23-plus years of which nine years were spent as a CFO of a small, family-owned business. I received my BS in Accounting from Rider University and received my master’s degree in Accounting from the University of Phoenix in conjunction with classes from Rider University. Born in Ecuador, I spent the first 11 months of my life in an orphanage before being adopted. My privilege to be a US citizen is something I don't take for granted. There are a variety of ways in which we can give back at different stages of our lives. I have dedicated my time to serving my local community in different capacities. One of my motivations stems from knowing what it is like to be part of the silent minority. Red Bank politics is challenging. Let's be honest, it’s a tough political town. To be honest, it is easy to get wrapped up and pulled into Red Bank's vitriol. I have always been able to extract myself to focus on the issues and serve the community. I have worked with candidates who served in town and were also on mutual boards or committees. I know what I am getting into, and I have great people to keep me grounded. I must look people in the eyes as I make the rounds in town daily with my dogs.

Candidates provided their own answers to the following questions, with editing only for style:

1. Why are you seeking office or seeking re-election? Is there a particular issue or
concern that you want to see improved in Red Bank that sparks your desire to govern?

I have been serving Red Bank in some capacity for over 15 years. It started off with an incumbent campaigning who came to my house on Arthur Place, asking me for their vote. I asked a question, “Why do my taxes keep going up?” and I really did not get a good answer. So, I started going to council meetings.

“Fail ‘til you Succeed” - my motivation to keep showing up at school board, library trustee meetings, council meetings, planning board, zoning board and many other town meetings and events. I started recording the meetings and posting them on YouTube (Channel: S Viscomi). As technology got better, I was then able to start streaming them, too.

Because I'm running on my own, I can think independently and not be subjected to the position
of any party, team or slate. My grassroots campaign is made up of neighbors in town. People
who have seen my actions for over a decade, and know that it’s not just empty promises while
asking people for a vote.

These are my goals:

• Bringing my experience from working on the public schools' and Red Bank Public Library’s budget and attending the town's budget review for over a decade, I am committed to seeing what opportunities the town has not tapped into yet, and seeing what is efficient and sustainable. It is important to make sure the budget is smart for the town and its future. We need a systematic approach not just to increase revenue, but also to reduce expenses.
• Demand a formal selection process to boards and committees - an open process, so people know what positions are open and have a fair opportunity to be appointed. Red Bank has such a wealth of skilled residents that we can tap into, but people might not know how to step up for the community. The appointment process should help ensure the position is filled based on merit and qualifications, rather than favoritism. By making the process more open and accessible, it could encourage more skilled residents to step up and contribute to the community. This could ultimately result in a more diverse and representative group of individuals serving in various positions within the town.
• Attending various public events and acting as a watchdog for the town demonstrates a strong commitment to transparency and accountability. I have been documenting meetings with video and pictures, helping to ensure that the public has access to information and can hold elected officials accountable for their actions. Continuing to be the watchdog for all in town, I have proven my commitment by attending council, Planning Board, and Zoning Board meetings, as well as other public events with video and photographs for over a decade. I do not show up only when I am looking for votes.

2. The short-term rental ordinance recently adopted by the Borough Council brought out lots of
opinion from the public, pro and con. What is your position on the adopted ordinance? If
you are an incumbent, why did you vote for or against it?

I have been going to public meetings for years and recording and streaming them live (before Zoom). One common theme I kept hearing was about lack of enforcement. For example, noise, traffic, trash removal or parking disputes. Sadly a few bad examples ruined it for all. Some neighbors of the short-term rentals had a negative experience with the guests and the influx of people.

If there had been enforcement maybe there would not have been so much animosity towards short-term rentals. Some neighbors stated that they complained, and as I knocked on doors, they explained that they felt like they were not being heard.

I think we should maintain some metrics and stats and if we can solve some of the underlying issues such as parking, I would not be against re-addressing the issue.

3. Another issue facing the borough is how cannabis businesses are regulated.
The recently adopted ordinance provides more regulation, but do you
feel it addresses concerns both of the public and the businesses seeking approval?

I spoke about this in 2021, in favor of limiting the number of licenses, it’s easier to add more licenses in the future if the industry is beneficial to the town. I think the 2021 majority did the town a disservice by rushing the legislation without limits. Admittedly, there was a lot of misinformation, and having an inaccurate map of the town. Businesses have spent a good amount of money to establish their locations. The 2022 majority tried to put the toothpaste back into the tube. Once again, the town was in an an uproar over the issue. Of course, not everyone will be happy. At this point I am open to having three to four retail locations and after a year or two, reconsider the amount of licenses once the town is comfortable and the relationship with the industry is mutually beneficial. So now we circle back to enforcement and accountability.

Other candidates for the 2023 election

Here is the ballot lineup for mayor and council, chosen in a random drawing last month.

Mayor:

• First position, Billy Portman, Red Bank's Ready
• Second position, Tim Hogan, Red Bank Together

Council:

• First position, Red Bank Together
• Second position, Suzanne "Sue" Viscomi (Dedicated to Representing Red Bank)
• Third position, Red Bank's Ready

Click on the links below to read more about the candidates from past stories. Click on individual names that are highlighted to read their candidate profiles, as they begin to be published during the next three weeks:

Red Bank Together: Leading the team is mayoral candidate Tim Hogan, Riverview Medical Center president, along with incumbent Borough Council candidates Michael Ballard, Jacqueline Sturdivant and John Jackson. Rounding out the team is Sean Murphy, a Red Bank Zoning Board member; Linda Hill, and Erin Fleming.

Suzanne Viscomi: Viscomi, a Red Bank school board member, is running independently, with the designation Dedicated to Representing Red Bank.

Red Bank's Ready: Mayor Billy Portman for mayor leads the team. Running for council seats are current Councilmember Kate Triggiano; Ben Forest of the Red Bank school board; former Charter Study Commission Chairperson Nancy Facey-Blackwood; and David Cassidy, Laura Jannone, and Kristina Bonatakis.